I think I'm DONE with Sellita movements

Post by **Amor Vincit Omnia** » Sat Sep 23, 2023 8:13 pm

@JGA1962
Welcome. Do please visit the Member Introduction section and tell us about yourself.

Which watches have you had with the SW200-1 movement? You’ve clearly had an unsatisfactory experience.

cmpic · Post by **cmpic** » Sun Sep 24, 2023 12:37 pm

my first experience with SW200 is on my CW Twelve - it is quite rough to wind and runs at +12 +15. Disappointing overall even though the watch is great. Just a little more (esp in secondary market) buys you Longines whose L888 movement is smooth like butter (plus in many models you get a silicon balance spring). I may get the Sealander soon to try but it does somewhat hold me back from watches with SW200 movement. I'd pay extra for SW300 - I wish CW used this one as the default on many watches. Plus SW300 is slimmer which would allow to shave off some more thickness.

MistaFroggyG · Post by **MistaFroggyG** » Mon Sep 25, 2023 2:39 pm

Is the desire for the LJP G100? Otherwise, I can’t see what they’d switch to.

I keep seeing mentions of Longines, but CW wouldn’t get Longines movements even if they were acquired by Swatch.

Dynamite_Kid19 · Post by **Dynamite_Kid19** » Mon Sep 25, 2023 11:00 pm

MistaFroggyG wrote:Is the desire for the LJP G100? Otherwise, I can’t see what they’d switch to.

I keep seeing mentions of Longines, but CW wouldn’t get Longines movements even if they were acquired by Swatch.

The G100 would be perfect and no need to change cases because it's a drop in for the SW200.

Sent from my Pixel 7 Pro using Tapatalk

asqwerth · Post by **asqwerth** » Tue Sep 26, 2023 3:36 am

I think CW will stick with Sellita in general for their movements (CW's former movement guru Johannes Jahnke works there now), but I also read an article earlier this yr about Sellita which stated that Sellita would be releasing a new SW200 within 2 years.

general-discussion/interesting-article- ... 61407.html

So maybe in 2025 [?] we might see a SW200 with more power reserve?

MistaFroggyG · Post by **MistaFroggyG** » Tue Sep 26, 2023 5:01 am

I feel like they definitely need to. Swatch really moved the bar up by making the Powermatic 80 and LJP with the G100.

I feel okay with that lower tier of power reserve from budget movements from Seiko and Citizen, but the SW200 really needs to do better for the cost.

tikkathree · Post by **tikkathree** » Tue Sep 26, 2023 6:17 pm

rkovars wrote: ↑Tue Jan 10, 2023 7:50 pm Not to be argumentative but the crown screwing in has 0 to do with the movement. The threading etc is part of the case/crown. I would say you just don't like how CW is doing it. That is fine and you are entitled to your opinion. I don't have any of those issues on any of my CWs with the screw down crown.

As for winding etc, that is a different story.

EDIT to add: RE gritty feeling crown - one trick I have heard in the past that helps but - I fully admit I have not tried this - is to use some wax dental floss (be sure it is waxed) to run on the threads of the crown tube. Make sure to use different portions of the floss with each pass. The idea is to transfer some of the wax from the floss to the threads to act as a lubricant. I have heard this more than once and from different sources. YMMV.

I can see the theory behind winding a fine cord around the crown tube and pulling it through the threads but I'd repeat the old advice about never introducing anything sticky (like wax) into the workings of a lock as what you're doing is creating a home for grit to lodge.
Could I suggest as a modification some fine cotton wound around the stem tube, pulled through the threads and then gently brushing the threads with the point of a soft pencil: graphite lubricates but is non-sticky.

schiorean · Post by **schiorean** » Mon Oct 02, 2023 4:00 pm

cmpic wrote: ↑Sun Sep 24, 2023 12:37 pm my first experience with SW200 is on my CW Twelve - it is quite rough to wind and runs at +12 +15. Disappointing overall even though the watch is great. Just a little more (esp in secondary market) buys you Longines whose L888 movement is smooth like butter (plus in many models you get a silicon balance spring). I may get the Sealander soon to try but it does somewhat hold me back from watches with SW200 movement. I'd pay extra for SW300 - I wish CW used this one as the default on many watches. Plus SW300 is slimmer which would allow to shave off some more thickness.

I had only 2 watches with this movement, one SW200 and one ETA 2824, both bought brand new. Both felt gritty when hand wining and one developed rotor spinning quite early (a few months in). I swore I will not buy a watch with this movement again.

Then a few months ago I bought the Sealander GMT not because I wanted a GMT (never liked the GMT complication although the whole design works quite nice on the Sealander, imo) but because it uses the SW330 sharing the same base base design with SW300 (ETA 2892). The difference in hand winding feel is huge, just like some previous posters said it's butter smooth all the way. And you get the 56 hours as a bonus.

ETA 2892 is the base design for a lot of great in house movements (L888 that you mentioned and earlier Omega).

g99hutton · Post by **g99hutton** » Tue Oct 03, 2023 2:22 pm

I find it really interesting that lots of people have issues with Sellita movements in Christopher Wards. I've got about 40 watches with Sellita movements including probably 15 CW's and not had a single problem with any of them. Surely I can't be 100% lucky on all of them. I'm sure that only a minority of the movements break, but they are the one's we hear about like everything defective. I hope you keep the faith and don't write them off completely.

cmpic · Post by **cmpic** » Tue Oct 03, 2023 3:12 pm

schiorean wrote: ↑Mon Oct 02, 2023 4:00 pm
cmpic wrote: ↑Sun Sep 24, 2023 12:37 pm my first experience with SW200 is on my CW Twelve - it is quite rough to wind and runs at +12 +15. Disappointing overall even though the watch is great. Just a little more (esp in secondary market) buys you Longines whose L888 movement is smooth like butter (plus in many models you get a silicon balance spring). I may get the Sealander soon to try but it does somewhat hold me back from watches with SW200 movement. I'd pay extra for SW300 - I wish CW used this one as the default on many watches. Plus SW300 is slimmer which would allow to shave off some more thickness.
I had only 2 watches with this movement, one SW200 and one ETA 2824, both bought brand new. Both felt gritty when hand wining and one developed rotor spinning quite early (a few months in). I swore I will not buy a watch with this movement again.

Then a few months ago I bought the Sealander GMT not because I wanted a GMT (never liked the GMT complication although the whole design works quite nice on the Sealander, imo) but because it uses the SW330 sharing the same base base design with SW300 (ETA 2892). The difference in hand winding feel is huge, just like some previous posters said it's butter smooth all the way. And you get the 56 hours as a bonus.

ETA 2892 is the base design for a lot of great in house movements (L888 that you mentioned and earlier Omega).

Didn't know that about the GMT ones. I don't like the GMT complication so never considered them... Interesting that there is such a big difference between sw200 and sw300

rkovars · Post by **rkovars** » Tue Oct 03, 2023 4:27 pm

cmpic wrote: ↑Tue Oct 03, 2023 3:12 pm
schiorean wrote: ↑Mon Oct 02, 2023 4:00 pm
cmpic wrote: ↑Sun Sep 24, 2023 12:37 pm my first experience with SW200 is on my CW Twelve - it is quite rough to wind and runs at +12 +15. Disappointing overall even though the watch is great. Just a little more (esp in secondary market) buys you Longines whose L888 movement is smooth like butter (plus in many models you get a silicon balance spring). I may get the Sealander soon to try but it does somewhat hold me back from watches with SW200 movement. I'd pay extra for SW300 - I wish CW used this one as the default on many watches. Plus SW300 is slimmer which would allow to shave off some more thickness.
I had only 2 watches with this movement, one SW200 and one ETA 2824, both bought brand new. Both felt gritty when hand wining and one developed rotor spinning quite early (a few months in). I swore I will not buy a watch with this movement again.

Then a few months ago I bought the Sealander GMT not because I wanted a GMT (never liked the GMT complication although the whole design works quite nice on the Sealander, imo) but because it uses the SW330 sharing the same base base design with SW300 (ETA 2892). The difference in hand winding feel is huge, just like some previous posters said it's butter smooth all the way. And you get the 56 hours as a bonus.

ETA 2892 is the base design for a lot of great in house movements (L888 that you mentioned and earlier Omega).
Didn't know that about the GMT ones. I don't like the GMT complication so never considered them... Interesting that there is such a big difference between sw200 and sw300

The Titanium 12 has the SW300 movement inside (three hander without GMT but the same architecture). The Sw300 also has tighter tolerances than the SW200 as far as time keeping goes. Mike France said during the 12 launch that we would be seeing more watches with the SW300 in them in the future. As well as Sellita's new replacement for the SW200 which Mike said looks exciting (which is coming down the road).

cmpic · Post by **cmpic** » Tue Oct 03, 2023 7:25 pm

That's good news that Sw200 is due for replacement/upgrade. Yes it would be good if they used Sw300 across the board - I'd personally be willing to pay a bit extra for the better movement. That said timekeeping wise the best non-COSC certified performers in my collection are Hamilton and Mido with the ETA C07.611 which is based on 2824 (both under +5 spd). The Longines I had with L691 which is same as 2892 was running worse - around +9.

Post by **Bahnstormer_vRS** » Tue Oct 03, 2023 11:29 pm

This is as good a point as any, in this thread, to remind readers that CW was the first brand to use the 'new' SW330-2 GMT movement with the introduction of the C63 Sealander GMT in April 2021.

Details in the CWArchive.

Additionally, its worth mentioning that CW will soon be, if they are not already, one of Sellita's Top 10 customers and thus should be well placed for the early adoption of any new Sellita movement i.e. the replacement for the SW200.

Guy

asqwerth · Post by **asqwerth** » Wed Oct 04, 2023 5:42 am

I'm one with no issues with CW Sellita. My one CW movement with issues (fiddly crown and stem) was the ETA2824 in my C5A mk1 (the logo is clear).

NigelS · Post by **NigelS** » Wed Oct 04, 2023 8:17 am

asqwerth wrote: ↑Wed Oct 04, 2023 5:42 am I'm one with no issues with CW Sellita. My one CW movement with issues (fiddly crown and stem) was the ETA2824 in my C5A mk1 (the logo is clear).

From my (extremely limited!) understanding thats not a problem with the movement, rather the stem to case fitting?

Christopher Ward Forum

Christopher Ward Forum

I think I'm DONE with Sellita movements

Re: I think I'm DONE with Sellita movements

Re: I think I'm DONE with Sellita movements

I think I'm DONE with Sellita movements

Re: I think I'm DONE with Sellita movements

Re: I think I'm DONE with Sellita movements

Re: I think I'm DONE with Sellita movements

Re: I think I'm DONE with Sellita movements

Re: I think I'm DONE with Sellita movements

Re: I think I'm DONE with Sellita movements

Re: I think I'm DONE with Sellita movements

Re: I think I'm DONE with Sellita movements

Re: I think I'm DONE with Sellita movements

Re: I think I'm DONE with Sellita movements

Re: I think I'm DONE with Sellita movements

Re: I think I'm DONE with Sellita movements

Independently Operated Forum for CW Enthusiasts